Through just over 57 minutes of the game last Thursday evening between Oregon State University and the 20th-ranked Stanford University Cardinal, the Beavers — entering the game as 18-point underdogs — looked like they were going to pull off their second win of the 2017 season.
Of course, a football game lasts 60 minutes. And the Beavers learned that the hard way.
Having been held to -2 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter, and trailing 14-9 with just under two-and-a-half minutes to go, Oregon State allowed Stanford the opportunity to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when the Beavers’ Ryan Nall — the team’s most reliable offensive weapon — fumbled the football on his own 40 yard line, and Stanford recovered the turnover with 2:30 seconds left in the final stanza.
Nine plays later, senior quarterback Keller Chryst found junior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a three yard touchdown pass, giving the Cardinal the go-ahead score. Stanford’s attempted two-point conversion was no good, giving Oregon State one final chance to overcome a one-point deficit with only 20 second left. But senior Darell Garretson’s hail mary pass at the end of regulation was intercepted in the end zone, leading to Beavers’ sixth-consecutive loss this season. Of all the losses Oregon State sustained this season, this one is easily the most heartbreaking.
The two teams actually finished the first quarter of the game without scoring any points. Stanford broke the scoreless tie first, with Cardinal kicker Jet Toner booting a 40-yard field goal just over two minutes into the second quarter. Oregon State then responded with a 12-play 75-yard drive that was capped by Garretson’s three-yard touchdown run. That gave the Beavers a 7-3 lead, and they didn’t relinquish the lead until Chryst’s go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter.
Toner kicked another field goal for Stanford as time expired in the first half, cutting Oregon State’s lead to 7-6 heading into the second half. But the Beavers opened the half with another 75-play drive (on six plays), ending in senior running back Thomas Tyner taking a handoff 18 yards for a touchdown.
Toner kicked a third field goal with 24 seconds left in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 14-9, and putting the Cardinal back in range to take the lead with a touchdown — which they obviously capitalized on.
The fact that the Beavers defense held Stanford without a touchdown for the first 59 minutes of the game is extremely noteworthy, especially considering they’ve allowed an average of 43.2 points per game over their last five games. Unfortunately, there are no moral victories in college football.
The Beavers’ offense didn’t do much to hold up their end of the bargain, either. For the fourth time in six games, Oregon State scored less than 15 points in the game. Garretson had his fourth straight game without a touchdown pass, and third straight game with an interception thrown.
Nall led all runners with 84 yards on the ground — likely since Stanford University was playing without potential Heisman Trophy candidate Bryce Love — but his costly fumble directly led to Stanford scoring the game-winning touchdown.
Oregon State University will try again for their first Pac-12 win this season, when they head to Berkeley, California next Saturday, to take on the University of California Golden Bears.
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